Bernie Moreno
Role at the time: Republican U.S. senator from Ohio
Statement summary
Asked about people marking the day as Indigenous Peoples' Day, Moreno calls the idea an insult to Italian Americans and says Columbus cannot be judged by today's standards.
“But look, obviously Columbus, you can't judge a guy from 1492 based on today's standards. I mean, that's just silly.”
TMZ video of a brief interview in which a reporter asks Sen. Bernie Moreno about people celebrating the day as Indigenous Peoples' Day instead of Columbus Day.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The reference point is honoring Christopher Columbus with Columbus Day, as Trump's 2026 proclamation and White House celebration do. Moreno defends celebrating Columbus, calling the alternative an insult to Italian Americans and saying Columbus should not be judged by today's standards, so we labeled it Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Minimized, because he sets aside criticism of Columbus's conduct as a matter of changed standards; it loses because his main point is that the holiday should be kept.